What is a Virtual Tour in Real Estate?

Margaret GrayMarch 27, 202310 mins read

The real estate industry has introduced numerous innovations, including virtual tours. Still, this showing method isn’t a product of the digital age. It first appeared over two decades ago, long before we had the means to create virtual simulations the way we do today. In 1994, an exhibit of Dudley Castle in England showed what this edifice looked like in the 16th century.

The exhibition generated quite a buzz in the real estate sector. Agents already habitually showed potential buyers photos of properties that interested them. However, technological advancements made the process more sophisticated — static pictures became moving images, and moving images turned into 360-degree videos.

These 3D virtual tours gained even more traction during the pandemic. Covid-19 prevented buyers from attending in-person showings, so virtual home tours became the norm. They allowed customers to enjoy an authentic and immersive experience at their own pace from the comfort of their homes. This level of convenience made 3D tours an integral part of every successful showing. And as a result, the real estate industry never looked back.

What Are Virtual Tours?

Real estate virtual tours or 3D walkthroughs are a series of digital images stitched into a virtual simulation of the interior or exterior of a home, apartment, or building. Depending on their complexity, they may include multimedia like videos, maps, music, narration, and more, offering additional information about the property.

These digital simulations are available on various electronic devices, from desktop computers to mobile phones, allowing prospective buyers to tour a place virtually.

Types of Virtual Tours

The 3D rendering industry offers several types of virtual real estate tours. You can learn more about what each category entails below.

360-degree panoramic tours — These media provide a 360-degree view of a property or scenery. They’re a step up from static images because they create the illusion of being inside the location. Viewers can move left and right and zoom in and out to better understand the place they’re touring. Besides real estate, 360-degree panoramic tours are popular in tourism.
3D interactive walkthroughs — A 3D virtual tour is an interactive three-dimensional model of a property. It’s a mash of 2D images and 3D data, allowing buyers to view a place on multiple levels. They can explore its exterior, interior, and surroundings and switch perspectives and angles. 3D tours can include automatic narration, interwoven text and links, floor plans, and more to make the tour more engaging and informative.
Video-based virtual tours — These virtual house and apartment tours provide simulations of properties through a set of videos. Because of their perspective limitations, video-based tours are slightly less popular than the other two options. Viewers cannot move around the property as they like or focus on areas of interest. They can see the space only from one point of view at a time.

Benefits of Virtual Tours

The popularity of virtual home tours stems from their multitude of benefits. A few of the most relevant ones are listed below. Take a look.

Reach — Thanks to virtual tour technology, real estate businesses can reach more customers than ever before. Anyone with an internet connection can visit their website and tour all the properties they have for sale.
Availability — Virtual tours are available at any time of day and night, which makes them easily accessible. They eliminate the need to take time off work and travel for the buyers and relieve the stress of scheduling and staging for real estate agents.
Versatility — Creating a virtual tour gives real estate companies a better chance of selling their properties. Realtors can use them to obtain building approvals and help potential buyers envision homes or apartments still under construction or renovation.
Competitiveness — While not necessary, offering virtual home tours can give real estate businesses an edge. They’re known to improve a website’s search engine results and generate more sales.

How to Create a Virtual Tour

An effective virtual home tour can improve the quality of your listings and attract more customers, so it’s worth knowing how to create it. Real estate businesses can do this task in two ways — outsourcing or DIY.

Leveraging professional virtual tour services generally yields the best results. The US market is packed with quality 3D rendering companies specializing in home tours. They employ a team of experienced and talented individuals who utilize the latest technology and tools and apply their knowledge and expertise to every project.

They’ll handle the entire rendering process for you, from shooting to post-production, taking your feedback into account. You’ll get a full-fledged home tour within a short time frame at an affordable price.

If you choose to forego hiring professionals, you can also create a virtual tour by yourself. The procedure consists of several steps and requires special equipment. In terms of the former, there are three things to consider — staging, structure, and photography.

Staging comprises decorating the property to make it more appealing to buyers. They must be able to envision themselves living there, so it shouldn’t be too empty or cluttered with personal belongings. Aim to make the space appear clean, spacious, and warm.

Consider the way a buyer would move through the property you’re selling. Think about the route they would take, the pace of their tour, and the elements they would observe. Create a map of the virtual tour based on these components.

Make sure you’re on top of your game when it comes to photography:

Buy or borrow a high-quality camera.
Learn how to make the most of your camera’s features.
Stage the tour in the daytime for better visibility.
Find the best angles to make the walkthrough as natural as possible while including property highlights.
Keep a steady hand or use a tripod to ensure smooth footage.
Delete mistakes and colorize and lighten the material you’ve shot in post-production.

The following equipment can help you achieve the best results:

360-degree cameras — These cameras capture 360-degree videos, allowing you to create virtual tours hassle-free. If you cannot get one, use Facebook’s 360-degree camera feature to create tours for your social media followers.
Virtual tour software — Many tech companies offer virtual tour software online. This technology comes in different shapes and forms, delivering more and less sophisticated results. Surf the internet for the most popular choices and choose one according to your needs and preferences.
Video editing tools — Find a quality beginner-friendly editing program to process your virtual tour. For the best results, add media, like photos, links, floor plans, and text.

Tips for Creating a High-Quality Virtual Tour

Your 3D tour will be more effective if you pay attention to the property layout. Viewers should be able to get a clear sense of the property’s structure and traffic flow. Ideally, you should start from the entrance and move through the place following a natural route. Attaching a floor plan may also prove helpful.

Don’t forget to shoot and edit the material so it highlights the home’s best features. Focus on recent upgrades, renovations, or unique characteristics.

Integrating Virtual Tours Into Real Estate Marketing

Virtual tours have many applications in real estate marketing. They’ll generate more traffic and boost sales if you:

Add them to your listings — Virtual tours can elevate your listing in two ways. They’ll help you reach worldwide audiences and provide them with a free, convenient, and immersive way to look at properties online.
Share them on your social media and website — Including virtual tours in social media profiles and websites will help you stand out from your competition with ease.
Use them for virtual open houses and events — Create online open houses and events using virtual tours. You’ll increase your real estate’s exposure and improve its sales potential. Plus, you can save the recording and use it in future marketing campaigns.

Future of Virtual Tours in Real Estate

As technology evolves, new tools and techniques continue to revolutionize industries. The real estate sector is no exception. Three of the most notable breakthroughs in this industry include VR (Virtual Reality), AR (Augmented Reality), and AI (Artificial Intelligence).

VR simulation uses 3D displays and pose tracking to create an immersive virtual reality. It allows clients to explore the virtual representation of a property they plan to buy more effectively. With tools like VR headsets, they can enjoy an enhanced home tour experience anywhere.

Augmented Reality is a technology that overlays the real world with generated 3D content. Through tools such as smartphones or iPads, it can add details or changes to properties under renovation or construction in real time. Buyers can envision unfinished projects in a new, easy, and exciting way while visiting the location.

AI and machine learning may not directly change real estate virtual tours, but they can make the sale process smoother. These tools can help buyers estimate home values in real time and generate listings based on their needs and preferences. Real estate agents can use AI to build better rapport with clients, develop more effective marketing material, find prospective buyers faster, automate administrative tasks, and so on.

Potential Challenges and Solutions for Virtual Tours in Real Estate

In case you’re still not sure how essential virtual house tours are for your real estate business, consider the list of challenges they address:

Organization — In-person showings imply the buyers must agree on an appointment with the agent and current tenants and find time to travel or drive to that destination. Virtual tours eliminate all these issues, allowing customers to explore properties on their schedule and at their leisure.
Specifics — Real-life house and apartment tours are subject to time limitations. Often, there’s no time to focus on details and ask more specific questions. Clients should gain as much insight into a property as possible in one visit. 3D virtual tours allow buyers to spend as much time as they need looking at a property. They can zoom in on details and decide on the purchase at their own pace.
Unfinished real estate — Realtors often have issues selling houses or apartments under construction or renovation. Clients find it hard to imagine what the space would look like, so they prefer not to risk their money. Virtual real estate tours solve these problems by bringing unfinished projects to life digitally. Buyers can use them to visualize their future homes and make changes during construction to suit their needs better.

Role of Virtual Tours in Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Real Estate Practices

Going green has become one of the central motifs in all industries, including real estate. The sector uses various means to move toward a cleaner and more sustainable future. Virtual tours rank among the most important:

They eliminate the need for brochures, reducing paper waste and conserving resources.
They’re available online 24/7, eliminating the need to drive to in-person showings, thus saving gas.
They allow buyers to monitor the construction of their homes and make changes ahead of time, minimizing construction time and, therefore, air, water, and noise pollution.

Conclusion

Virtual tours are the future of real estate sales. They let buyers around the globe view properties at their leisure, focus on details, and envision unfinished projects. Plus, they allow the integration of new technologies, such as virtual and augmented reality.

In return, these features increase the real estate business’s popularity, resulting in broader customer pools, more leads, smoother sales processes, and a competitive edge. All of that while being eco-friendly — now, that’s hard to top.